Nine-year-old Kelvin Medina and his 4-year-old brother, Giancarlo Marrero, were trapped in a third-floor bedroom, after the fire broke out just after 3 a.m. Tuesday.

The state fire marshal determined that the blaze was an accident caused by an electrical wiring failure in a first-floor ceiling in the three-story, six-unit apartment building. Several cars were also destroyed by the fire.

The fire engulfed the home on Kingston Street. (Photo credit: Lawrence Police)

Autopsies are scheduled on the boys’ bodies.

Residents who escaped said they were alerted by smoke alarms and a stranger who threw rocks at windows to alert residents.

Fire Marshall Stephen Coan says 48 people have died in fires in Massachusetts this year.

Since Ebola’s first symptoms resemble that of the flu, fears about Ebola could drive patients to doctors and emergency rooms with flu symptoms. Each year, the CDC estimates that between 5% and 20% of Americans get the flu, though most don’t see their doctor

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced on Tuesday the formation of a commission to address inequality in Ferguson, Mo., the site of ongoing protests following the police shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown